Tell us it is not a shakedown.

The Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) this week trumpeted another case it filed for tax evasion against two sets of couples who owned multi-billion properties but whose tax payments made them look poorer than a church mouse. Nothing is wrong with that, of course, for as long as it does not stop there. People of this country know there are far more prominent people more guilty than the names of these people. Indeed, there is no justification for committing felonies so the fact that other people commit it is never a defense that one can rely on. A lot of people love to raise this argument to justify their own excesses which should not come as a surprise. When people want something done, they find ways to do it. When they don't, they have all the excuses and alibis for not doing so. Still, there are also such things as equal application of the law and sincerity. When you apply the law selectively, you are guilty of partiality and hypocrisy.

Hypocrisy can never be made a crime, otherwise we would have no one left in government if we did. Partiality is altogether a different thing. In this country, almost always, it is the powerless or the out of power that bears the brunt of the onslaught of the powerful. It is not so much the gravity of the crime committed but the people who get tagged in the process. Don't get us wrong. BIR's effort to go after tax evaders, in itself, is an admirable thing. What we want to see however is consistency and objectivity. In our midst we have people who beat their breast to announce their holiness but who are no different than the Pharisees who did it all for show. They do not fail to declare their prominence but stop short when it comes to the BIR. If the taxman really wants to know who is hiding not just skeletons but undeclared income in his closets, he does not need to go very far.

All he needs to do is go over the names of people who throw their weight around and see how much they are really worth against their tax declarations. One would be amazed to find out the difference that a declaration makes. Of course, it would be altogether a different thing if ordinary citizens scandalized by the acts of evasion they witness year in and year out will go out of their comfort zone and do their share in reporting these evaders to the BIR. The BIR will not only find it easier to identify the magicians but also would be hard put not on act on formal complaints. This is one way to find out if the BIR really means business or is simply making introductions.